Freestyle - 6-Kick Swim

When you're trying to build a great freestyle, it's important you focus on the extreme ends of the body.

Why do it:
Learning how to drive the hands forward from the legs will help you develop a more complete stroke, and then afford you the ability to choose how fast you want to go, or how efficient you want to be.

How to do it:
1 - Consider this a delayed freestyle. Holding each stroke for an extra few kicks. We call it 6-kick swim so it's just enough distraction to get swimmers to delay.... the actual number of kicks isn't that important.
2 - While you hold for a brief moment on each side, focus on extending the arm completely straight out front.
3 - Keep the kick going for the entire length.

How to do it really well (the fine points):
This drill can also help swimmers learn a better breath timing as well. As you take a stroke, turn your head to air with the body. Immediately after the breath, bring the head back down and focus on your balanced line.

You'll be able to identify habitually late breathers in this drill, those swimmers who stroke, then turn the head, then rush, or collapse back to the other side. Take your time in the extended position, and remind yourself to turn the head with the stroke, not after.

To advance the drill forward, perform a couple strokes of the drill, and then gradually build back to a regular stroke timing by the end of the length. The goal is to maintain the constant kick, the extension forward, and the correct breath timing.

[grethomory]

thanks so much for this GO SWIM. I am just learning to swim at 54 years old. I go to class 2x's per week and practice for 2 other days. I am proud to say I can float, glide, backstroke, breast stroke, and freestyle crawl. I started taking lessons in April and it's July. So, the things I am working on right now are fine tuning as far as technique, breathing better, and endurance. I have M.S., but you wouldn't know it if you saw me, but my left leg does not move as well. I'll never be an Olympic Swimmer, but if I were in a situation where I was forced into the water at least I can save myself for a bit.

My teacher reminds me that great swimmers drown all the time so we work on safety as well. I like watching these videos to increase my technique. In September, there will be a competition....well, not really a competition, but the adult swimmers will show their stuff from what they have learned. No prizes or anything, :-)

[DrDrolly]

This looks really beautiful, so fluid, powerful and effortless.
I hope i will be at that point one day.

[hichammaroc]

thanks soooo much, I followed your advice and I really have improved lately

[marias]

I'm a beginner and I do this to focus on my breathing, I slow the swimming right down and it helps

[michaelw.]

makes sense, will give it a try later today! thanks!

[martaanna]

Thank you! It helped me a lot! Wonderful drill!!!

[leesanghwa]

자유형 - 6번 차고 당기기
훌륭한 자유형 영법을 구축하려 노력할 때는 몸의 앞뒤 맨 끝에 집중하는 것이 중요합니다.
왜 할까요:
다리를 이용해 손을 앞 방향으로 몰아가는 방법을 배우면 보다 완벽한 영법을 개발하는 데 도움되고, 그런 후 여러분은 얼마나 빠른 속도로 헤엄칠지 아니면 얼마나 효율적인 영법을 구사할지 선택할 수 있는 능력을 갖추게 됩니다.
어떻게 할까요:
1 - 꾸물거리는 자유형 영법이라고 여기십시오. 몇 번씩 더 차면서 매번 당기기를 늦추는. 6번 차기 자유형이라고 부릅니다 6번이 꾸물대도록 만들기에 딱 적당한 횟수니까요.... 하지만 실제 횟수는 그리 중요하지 않습니다.
2 - 측면을 대고 짧게 버티는 동안에는 그쪽 팔을 완전히 맨 앞으로 반듯하게 뻗는 데 집중하십시오.
3 - 헤엄치는 내내 그치지 말고 계속 차십시오.
어떻게 하면 진짜로 잘할까요 (요점):
이 부분 훈련은 또한 들숨 때 맞춤(timing)을 더 좋게 교정하는 데도 도움됩니다. 팔을 당기면서, 종축 회전하는 몸통과 함께 머리를 돌리십시오. 들이쉰 다음에는 곧바로 머리를 제자리로 내려놓으면서 균형 잡힌 신체 선형에 집중하십시오.
이 부분 훈련 중에 누가 습관적으로 늦게 들이쉬는지 쉽게 알아낼 수 있을 것입니다, 당기고 나서 머리를 돌린 다음, 성급하게 반대쪽으로 무너지는 사람들을. 팔을 뻗은 자세에서 여유를 가지면서, 당긴 후가 아니라 당기는 동시에 머리를 돌려야 함을 다시 기억하십시오.
이 부분 훈련이 익숙해진 다음에는, 이 부분 훈련으로 두 번 당긴 다음, 차는 횟수를 조금씩 줄여 끝에 가서는 일반적인 영법이 되도록 바꿔가십시오. 이 부분 훈련의 목표는 꾸준한 차기 유지, 앞으로 뻗기, 그리고 올바른 들숨 때 맞춤입니다.

[goswim]

Because too many people think "the drill" itself is enough. There should be the why, how, and how to do it better in everything you do in athletics.

[anujdwivedi]

How do you take your head out while simple freestyle kicking.. without using hands much

[computronics]

Why did you put your head under the water? I thought it's supposed to keep breaking the water, so when you rotate to breathe it doesn't create additional drag.

[dgriite]

It's a drill I might try out. My problem aren't the arm extensions, but the leg kicks. I can maintain the same speed as the fast swimmers on the (olympic sized) pool, but only when I use the legs/kicks sparingly. Using my legs creates drag (and gets exhausting quickly), even when I kick from my hips.

[moviedude]

drive the hands forward from the leg? What is that even supposed to mean?

[deepinurheart]

This style very much resembles OVER GLIDING STYLE

[ayw]

Good drills but you recovering arm enters and extends too flat, i.e. not steep enough. That's causing your hips (when you swimming normally) to drop which you compensate with your good back strength and rather ferocious kicking (that explains that undesirable arch in your lower back) Especially that left arm is a huge issue, try to keep your wrist lower than your elbow not floating up to the surface.

[Queenfisher]

This isn’t the correct rythm for six beat freestyle. You’re doing 8 beat free with two missing kicks and bad timing.

Correct six beat free happens as a fast stroke, a slow stoke + glide. Two kicks in the first four in the second.

You can check this rythm against Thorpe (200 or end of 400) Phelps, popovici, Katy ledecky etc).

The form you’re demonstrating is far less efficient and shouldn’t be used for anything other than sprinting.

If you want to swim longer symmetrical freestyle you need to hold the top arm longer (hence 8 not 6 kick) and pull and stretch together, you can find this form in Thorpe (start of races), sun yang etc.

[lukas_mena]

The swimmer in the vid bend his knees too much...

[zephyrus]

"The fine points"

why is this in every single of your videos??!